This chapter is about the past about Yoji who received his power to become a hellfire demon after he became the puppter leader and the eighth nightmare three years ago and his battle with a climax against Yoku.
Chapter 28: Yoji the Hellfire Demon
After Yoji used his Chakra no Kyomei with Ifrit and became a demon of hellfire, he prepared to fight Yoku once again and end the battle soon as possible. The six nightmares became extremely awe, seeing their puppet leader became a monster with flames.
Meanwhile, Kabuto noticed that Yoji became a hellfire demon after he fused with Ifrit, resonating their chakra. Right now, he was now carrying the unconscious Yume in his arms after he healed her wounds from her battle against Ikari, the yokai of the Tengu clan and watched the battle of the two rivals while he was in the the other side near by the lake that was frozen until Yoji melted Yoku's ice technique.
"Well, that was special. Seeing him become a monster with flames," he surprisingly realized with a smirk. "It's been a while since I saw him in that form."
Three years ago, when Yoji, as Ryoji, became the eighth nightmare of Megami's nightmare shinobi and the puppet leader after he was captured by the Otogakure, Orochimaru requested him and the six nightmares to kill the test subjects, who escaped from the Otogakure.
"I have test subjects who just escaped from the prisons. I want you to kill them for opposing against me."
"Understood," Ikari replied.
"We'll take care everything, Orochimaru-sama," said Netami with a devious smile on her face.
"Kabuto will help you for searching the fleeing test subjects." Orochimaru complied to the six nightmares.
While the six nightmares nodded in agreement with Orochimaru and Kabuto, Ryoji leaned on the wall, watching with distrust after realizing he had to work with the Snake Sannin's assistant on finding the rebel test subjects and kill them.
"Where are those those traitors, Orochimaru-sama?" Ikari asked.
"They escaped to Megami's created land in order to get out from the painful nightmares of being test subjects. Of course, they're challengers right now," explained the Snake Sannin. "You're their opponents after all. Kill them."
"You got it," Yoku answered his smooth reply. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
At the Akumu no Kuni, the land created by Megami, Ryoji was partnered with Kabuto as they came to the bamboo forest while the six nightmares went in different stages. Netami and Joyoku went to the third stage. Kuzuri and Taidana went to the second stage and Ikari and Yoku went to the fifth stage.
Ryoji kept walking as he ignored his partner, despite being partnered with him under Orochimaru's orders. Kabuto knew that the puppet leader didn't trust him at all after he became his partner.
"We will find them if we work together, Ryoji." he convinced while adjusting his black glasses.
"I don't need your help." he replied as he disagreed with him.
The medical-nin noticed the boy's distrusted manners towards him and knew he won't forgive him for what he did back then.
"I see. You still hate me, do you? I understand. After all what happened, you're still one of the her nightmares." he stated. "Of course, Orochimaru-sama ordered us to find the test subjects, who are against him."
The red-haired boy turned his head at the medical-nin, showing pitiful resentment.
"I know that. But I'll find them by myself, I told you already... I don't need your help," he told him one last time before he leaving him behind.
Kabuto realized he left already after telling him that he didn't want his help. He shook his head after wondering what will happen to the puppet leader.
"If you really don't need my help, can you handle them on your own? Those test subjects are stronger because of their cursed seals, given from Orochimaru-sama." he complied, stating that Ryoji can't kill the traitors so easily.
While the puppet leader kept finding them who escaped, Kabuto already found and killed them quickly. The traitors were dead, killed by Orochimaru's assistant, laying on the ground and showing no blood after being killed.
He began to wonder if Ryoji found the other traitors and killed them for good.
"I better make sure if he's all right while fighting against those traitors," he mentioned.
As he began to find him, he heard the agony scream from the east all the sudden. After noticing that something happened, he went to the east quickly. Rushing to see what just happened, he became shockly surprised when he saw something awe. Something Kabuto saw was Yoji in a different form. His body was covered with flames, his hands had black claws, and two horns on his blood-haired head. Right now, Yoji became a hellfire demon for the very first time.
The test subjects in their cursed seal markings or in the second level form became frighten with fear after seeing Ryoji became a monster with flames around his body.
"What the hell are you!?"
"Stay away!"
The prisoners with their cursed seals begged Ryoji not to kill them, but he didn't listen. He began to use his ultimate flame technique while in a hellfire demon form, Jigoku no Kaen.
He placed his black-clawed hands on the ground, summoning the flames of hell. Flames with hell went towards the fewer prisoners and burned them to death ruthlessly. Their bodies were burned with ashes from the flames and Yoji panted, beginning to turn back to his normal form and his chakrams appeared on the ground beside him. After turning back to normal, he began to pass out as his body dropped down to the ground.
Kabuto came towards the unconscious puppet and noticed that Ryoji used all his chakra. After seeing him as a hellfire demon, he became surprised and impressed.
He took Ryoji with him back to the reality after they finished killing the traitors with their cursed seals. Returning to Otogakure, the eighth nightmare became recovered from becoming the hellfire demon. The day after Yoji, the puppet leader of the six nightmares, and Kabuto killed the traitors with cursed seals, he trained with his demon partner Ifrit in the mountains of the Akumu no Kuni, trying to control his hellfire demon form because of his Chakra no Kyomei for the very first time back then. Focusing his chakra while resonating with Ifrit, he finally became the hellfire demon all by himself without any counters. He returned to his normal form and finished his training while Ifrit returned his orignal form: the chakrams. He caught them and left the nightmare land.
As he returned, he began to walk in the hallway in one of Orochimaru's hideouts in Otogakure where he created the nightmare game, the Seven Stages of Nightmares. Along the way, he noticed as he saw Kabuto in front of him and stopped walking.
"How's your training?" he asked. "I believe you're trying to control your chakra while in that form just like back then."
"What do you want?" Ryoji replied with irritation.
"Well, after you killed the traitors with this form you used for the very first time, Orochimaru-sama seem interested in you and your flame demon," he stated to Ryoji. "It'll be best to show him your special form if you would come with me, Ryoji."
The puppet leader knew that Orochimaru had interest in him, but he already made his mind on using his chakra resonance with Ifrit.
"Sorry, but I'm not interested..." he denied the offer as he walked past him.
"Before you leave, can you tell me why?"
He stopped once again and noticed that Kabuto asked him why.
"I already controlled that form by fusing with Ifrit. I won't use that form ever again because I made up my mind," he answered. "Having flames around my body, black claws I have on my hands, and black horns on my head... If I use that in front of everyone, they'll think that I'm a monster. A demon with hellfire..."
After remembering the past about Yoji becoming the hellfire demon, Kabuto knew that he changed his mind in order to defeat Yoku.
"That form you won't use, you changed your mind, do you Yoji?"
Yoji, in his hellfire demon form after fusing with Ifrit while using his chakra no kyomei, prepared himself as he went towards Yoku in a quick speed. The ice release user became shocked and quickly dodged the attack, only to let his rival attacked him with his black claws. The hellfire shinobi scratched the right arm and Yoku felt pain. He backed away from Yoji and became enraged. The scratch from his right arm gave him burning pain.
"What the hell are you, Ryoji? Those flames, black claws and horns you have. Are you some kind of monster?!" he asked with a raging confusion.
"A monster, huh? I may be, but I used my chakra resonating with Ifrit's in order to become a hellfire demon," Yoji replied. "This form gives me the power to burn anything even your ice techniques."
The demon went towards Yoku with a quick again, but this time, he dodged and blocked Yoji's attacks. He began to use and summon six ice clones while evading the attacks. The ice clones surrounded Yoji in a circle. However, as they charged at him, the fiery demon attacked with his claws and kicks. The claws and kicks with flames burned Yoku's ice clones, showing the ice release user shock.
Shocking to see his rival burned the ice clones completely, he began to use his ultimate ice release technique Daiyamondo Dasuto again.
"Hyoton: Daiyamondo Dasut—"
However, Yoji stopped Yoku from using the ultimate technique with his black claws.
"You can't freeze me, Yoku. It's useless! This battle ends here!" he exclaimed to his icy rival. He prepared his final attack Yoku after stopping him from using Daiyamondo Dasto. "Hissatsu! Jigoku no Kaen!"
His hands bathed with hellfire and the flames surrounds him and Yoku in a circle. Yoku became bewilderment as Yoji began to do something awe after surrounded by his flames. All the sudden, flames engulfed the two rivals completely, showing the other nightmares became shockly awe.
"Yoku!" Netami yelled.
"No way..." Taidana shocked, seeing their puppet leader and Yoku engulfed by the flames of hell.
Kuzuri became frighten and scared as he quickly covered his eyes.
Kabuto became surprised and began to ponder if Yoji survived the flames and Yoku became burned with ashes just like three years ago.
"Yoji, you're going to burn Yoku into ashes, are you? Just like you did back then."
Meanwhile on the other side of the bamboo forest, Kazekiri used her winds to gather maple leaves. Gathering them, the spirit of the wind summoned a Japanese two-storeyed house, similiar to Yamato's Mokuton. After Kazekiri summoned it, they entered. Seiichi took Rika to a room, letting her to recover from Yoku's icy mist. Pana became worried after seeing her. Kuta patted her shoulder, cheering her up.
"Don't worry. Rika-chan will be better as soon as she wakes up." said Kuta.
"Kuta," Pana replied, realizing she doesn't need to worry about. "Thanks."
After thanking her hot-blooded, upbeat childhood friend, the tomboyish kunoichi began to ponder about Yoji. Back then, she heard that the ice release user knew him except that he said a different Ryoji after they encountered him when the icy mist appeared. She looked at the window with a concern look on her face.
"Ryoji? Something's not right. How did he know him? Yoji-san, tell me. What's going on?"
Later on the battle of the two rivals, the hellfire became powerful, but fearful on the lake that was frozen. No way flames like that could appear on water ever. The five nightmares watched and waited with disquiet after seeing Yoji and Yoku were swallowed by those immersed flames. Suddenly, the flames began to fade away, showing steam on the lake.
The five nightmares noticed that they disappeared completely and saw the two left standing. Kabuto realized that Yoji didn't burn Yoku completely after the flames of hell engulfed them. Yoji returned to his orignal human form as his flames, black claws and horns began to disappear. Ifrit appeared behind its master with a loud and tremendous roar.
Netami became shocked that he was alive, but she wondered about Yoku. She looked at the icy shinobi, only to see something horrified. Taidana noticed that his partner became shocked after seeing Yoku.
"Hey, what's wrong, Netami?" he asked.
"Yoku... What happened to you? You're..." Netami became speechless.
Taidana looked at Yoku as well and became shocked as well.
"Guys..." he called Ikari, Joyoku, and Kuzuri.
The three heard Taidana and turned at him. He slowly pointed with his finger to them, showing Yoku. The three became awe as they saw Yoku. What's horrifying was Yoku's body. His black sleeveless shirt wasn't shown, assumably that it was destroyed from the hell flames. His shinobi sandals weren't shown as well. On his body, there were several burns, appearing on his back, chest, lower abdomen, both arms and hands, and neck. His face even had fewer burns.
"Yoku!" Joyoku shocked, gasping with fear.
"His body, it's terrible!" Kuzuri became scared.
Yoku panted and felt painful after receiving burns from the battle. Feeling in burning pain, he knelt down on the water, showing defeat.
Yoji sighed in relief as he finally defeated Yoku. "I did it."
Kabuto realized his dearest challenger had completed six stages and she must complete the final and last stage. He looked at the unconscious Yume with delightful.
"Six stages are completed. The final stage..." he thought with a sly grin on his face. "awaits you, my dearest Yume."
